Big Ten Heisman odds updated after Week 8: Where is Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin?

The Heisman Trophy is arguably the greatest individual award in all of sports, professional or amateur. The winners of the storied trophy will live on in legend and lore, and if you are an Ohio State fan, there have been plenty of winners -- seven in fact. That's good for second all-time behind USC and tied with Oklahoma and Notre Dame.

The Buckeyes still have the only two-time winner, with running back Archie Griffin holding that distinction.

We like to keep track of where the Heisman race is. And while an OSU player hasn't won the bronze statue since Troy Smith took it home in 2006, there have been plenty of finalists since then, and it looks like a couple of Buckeyes could be in the running again this season.

But we aren't only interested in how the race is playing out on the banks of the Olentangy; we also like to keep tabs on what's going on across the entire Big Ten conference (hint, there are quite a few players in the conversation). There's still about half the season left, so there's plenty of time for this all to change, but we have a new leader according to the BetMGM odds, and it has everything to do with how well a player from Ohio State is doing.

Here's an updated look at the Big Ten Heisman odds according to BetMGM after Week 8 of the college football season. We won't go too deep, but just enough for the guys in the league that have a legitimate shot at taking home the award. We'll start from the least favorable odds to the most favored.

Justice Haynes, Running Back | Michigan

Heisman Odds | +5000

Odds Rank | No. 19 (tie)

Where things stand

Haynes has been the biggest bright spot for the Michigan offense, but he was out last game with an injury. The fact that Michigan has already lost two games and he's lost time because of injury will hurt his chances.

Demond Williams Jr., Quarterback | Washington

Heisman Odds | +5000

Odds Rank | No. 19 (tie)

Where things stand

Williams looked great through the first five games of the year. He's a true dual-threat quarterback that's extremely dangerous when he gets outside the pocket. Two losses and opposing defense's ability to contain his running threat have diminished his profile as of late.

Jayden Maiava, Quarterback | USC

Heisman Odds | +2200

Odds Rank | No. 10

Where things stand

Likewise to the other two prior to Maiava on this list, two losses have made his Heisman campaign falter just a little bit. There's still time to recover, but he didn't have the best game against Notre Dame, so he'll need to lead his team to a Big Ten title, most likely, to get himself back among the realistic shots.

Dante Moore, Quarterback | Oregon

Heisman Odds | +1500

Odds Rank | No. 8

Where things stand

Moore has dropped a little bit since the beginning of the year, but he'll still have every opportunity to get back up there, especially if Oregon can win out and find its way into the Big Ten Championship game and beyond -- and show out well on the biggest spotlight games. He may need Ohio State or Indiana to falter, however.

Jeremiah Smith, Wide Receiver | Ohio State

Heisman Odds | +1400

Odds Rank | No. 7

Where things stand

You'll get little argument from those who know college football when claiming Smith as the best player in college football. The problem is that a lot of the Heisman voters like to focus on stats, and because of how much attention defenses have been paying to the sophomore man-child, the stats won't likely be where many voters who scroll numbers will want them to be.

Fernando Mendoza, Quarterback | Indiana

Heisman Odds | +300

Odds Rank | No. 1 (tie)

Where things stand

Mendoza has a real chance to take the award home. Playing against him is the fact that he plays for Indiana rather than a name-brand program, but if the Hoosiers keep winning and he keeps tossing the ball around like he has thus far, with the whole world watching, he's going to be in New York and potentially win the whole thing. How he does against either Ohio State or Oregon in a Big Ten championship game setting might be the determining factor.

Julian Sayin, Quarterback | Ohio State

Heisman Odds | +300

Odds Rank | No. 1 (tie)

Where things stand

Yes, Saying has a lot of weapons around him, but at some point, leading the nation by completing 80% of your passes has to count for something. He did nothing to hurt his chances last week by completing 36-of-42 passes (85.7%) for 393 yards and four touchdowns against Wisconsin. Sayin may have made himself the favorite to win the award now, and the fact that he's doing it without the running game really taking off for Ohio State is another feather in the cap.

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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Big Ten Heisman odds after Week 8: Enter Ohio State QB Julian Sayin